The Lay of Lord and Lady
by Vana Tuivana
Summary: The lay of a Dark Elf and his White Lady. Nominated for a 2005 Mithril Award in the Long Poem category.


**Author's Note: **At long last I've gotten around to editing this poem; not much, just a few small changes of syntax and diction. I also got rid of those distracting "Oh"s from the beginning each stanza, as some reviewers have suggested (thank you all - you know who you are!). Hope you like it - it's still not perfect, but I do love that Eol/Aredhel angst. :)

**The Lay of Lord and Lady**

Bright was the Sun, and fair was the day,  
When the Lady went to wander;  
And dark was the shade, and cold was the vale,  
Where the Lord sat long to ponder.

Fair was the wood, and fair was the dell,  
And fair was the Lady white,  
And grim was the Lord, and dark was his thought,  
When he saw her shining bright.

Light was her heart, and merry her soul,  
When into the woods she rode,  
But swift came the night, and veiled were the stars;  
Then weary she bore her load.

Long did she ride, and long did she weep,  
For lost in the valley to be;  
But still were the woods, and silent the dells,  
As the Lord wove his web secretly.

Then warm came a light, and soft came a call,  
And the Lady she followed the two;  
For fair was her heart, and trusting her soul,  
And naught of deception she knew.

And long was the road, and twisting the path  
That weary the Lady led;  
And dark was the Moon, and lost was the Sun,  
And the bright stars long had fled.

Safe was the vale, and kind was the Lord,  
And the Lady she lay down to rest;  
For sweet was her heart, and content her soul,  
And to stay there she thought it was best.

Fair was the Lord, though dark was his vale,  
And the Lady he loved for her light;  
And great were his woods, and wondrous his delves,  
And he taught her the beauty of night.

Bright was the Sun, and fair was the day,  
That the Lady she missed so sore;  
But bright was the Moon, and fair was the night,  
And happy she wandered once more.

Then swift passed the years, and sick grew her heart,  
And she longed for her family to see;  
But proud was the Lord, and stone-hard his will,  
And ever he refused her plea.

Dark was the shade, and cold was the vale,  
The day the Lord's son she bore;  
And dark was her heart, and cold was her soul,  
And she laughed in the woods no more.

Bright was the Sun, and warm was the wood,  
When the Lord he rode away;  
And swift grew the boy, and bold grew his heart,  
And his father he would not obey.

Bright were the hills, and warm was the Sun,  
And the mother and son they fled;  
And swift was the way, and clear was the path,  
When to the White City they sped.

Dark was his vale, and empty his halls,  
And the Lord his wrath was great;  
And swift was his horse, and urgent his need,  
And their road he tracked with hate.

Great was the joy, and bright was the day,  
When before the King they came;  
Then gone was the dark, forgotten the fear,  
And the Lady she laughed again.

But dark came the Lord, and wrathful his mood,  
To the city's hidden gate;  
And grim was his face, and grim was his will,  
And his hatred then was great.

Proud was the Lord, and proud was his son,  
And proud was the Lady fair;  
And nor would they bend, and nor would they break,  
But that her brother ruled there.

Stern was his voice, and guarded his rule,  
And he ordered the Lord to go;  
But swift was the Lord, and swift flew his spear,  
And his son he would kill in woe.

But swift was the Lady, and swifter her thought,  
And she took the spear in her own right,  
But sharp was the blade, and poisoned the tip,  
And the Lady she died in the night.

Then grief filled the day, and sorrow the night,  
And the King his wrath was great;  
And proud was the Lord, and silent his son,  
And justice called down their fate.

High was the peak, and deadly the fall,  
Where the Lord from the city was cast;  
And swift was his fall, and certain his death,  
And his fate his son saw last.

Now dark is the wood, and silent the vale,  
Where the Lord he dwelt before;  
And bright is the Sun, and fair is the day,  
But the White Lady wanders no more.


End file.
